The Ties that Bind
by Kartissa
Summary: One hero, one villain, and the ties that connect them to each other.... Rated T for minor violence.
1. Birth of a Hero

Disclaimer Notice: City of Heroes/Villains is the creation of Cryptic Studios, and the intellectual property of NCSoft.

This story is based around several of my characters on the Union Server, and is not commissioned or endorsed by NCSoft.

* * *

Taking a deep breath, Seyshara Sanjiyani reached for the door handle, wondering how she was going to explain why she was coming home so late. As she opened the door, she heard a heavy thump in the kitchen, followed by the crash of breaking glass.

_Dad__'__s dropped the casserole dish again,_ the thought flashed across her mind. _That__'__s the third this month. Mum__'__s gonna be so angry. He really shouldn__'__t carry delicate stuff with those claws of his._

It's never easy being a mutant, even in Paragon City, where such things are commonplace. People everywhere judge by appearances, and Seyshara's father was more different than most. The claws and spines covering his body tended to frighten people as much as his bestial face. Seyshara could relate to that. Her own face resembled that of a cat. For several years now, she had taken to wearing a veil, just to reassure people. Or so she kept telling herself. It was a shame she couldn't hide her ears and tail as easily. Not that that would hide her origin. Her purple skin and the blue hair that steadfastly resisted colouring proclaimed her heritage as much as the spines announced her father's.

A scream shook her out of her brief reverie. Piercing and long, then abruptly cut off. Her mother only used her sonic scream in an emergency. Seyshara ran into the kitchen, to be greeted by a scene that would haunt her for years to come.

Her mother stood facing the door, her wings spread and with an odd expression on her face. Between her and Seyshara stood a strange figure, a woman, wearing a maroon martial arts robe trimmed with white. She shifted slightly, and Seyshara saw the cause of her mother's strange expression. A slender black blade penetrated the centre of her chest. A blade held by the stranger. As Seyshara watched, the light in her mother's eyes faded as she died.

"No!" Throwing her arm out, Seyshara launched a small cloud of gas at the killer. The mutagen struck the assassin perfectly, causing her to choke slightly as she turned to face the young girl. That was the first time Seyshara had ever used her mutagen on another person, although she knew its effects would not last long. The assassin produced a knife from somewhere and threw it at Seyshara while bringing her sword round before her.

The assassin's eyes widened slightly as the knife bounced off Seyshara's iron-hard skin and clattered to the floor. She raised her sword to strike, then hesitated. A strange recognition flashed across her eyes, unnoticed by Seyshara. The girl saw only the look on her mother's face, and lashed out at her killer. She had always been stronger than the other children, and had spent her life holding back so she wouldn't hurt anyone. Not this time. She jabbed the assassin with all the superhuman strength she possessed, knocking her backwards, causing her to trip over something on the floor.

Seyshara glanced down at the obstruction on the floor. It was her father, his blood pooling beneath his lifeless body. Seeing that, Seyshara lost the fragile control she had, diving onto the assassin and pummelling and screaming at her. She would never remember how long she attacked the stranger before Longbow arrived to take her away.

As the Longbow Guardians pulled her off the assassin, Seyshara glared at the sword that had taken her parents' lives. It was plain and unadorned, yet there was something sinister about it. It seemed to whisper in Seyshara's head. It wanted to be wielded by a fighter worthy of it. A fighter like Seyshara. The young girl reached toward it, but was stopped by a Longbow Guardian. Only then did Seyshara realise what had troubled her about the sword since she had first seen it.

There was no trace of blood on the blade. Nor was there any touching it, even though it lay across the spreading pool of her father's blood. She stepped back away from that dread blade, and bumped into somebody. Turning to apologise, the words froze on her lips. She knew this woman. Everybody did. Like her mother Cassiopeia, Andromeda was recognised as a citizen of every country on the planet, for much the same reason. What was she doing here?

The Hero didn't speak to the young girl, instead addressing the Longbow Sergeant who was crouching beside the assassin, removing a curious watch from her right wrist.

"Looks like you've done my job for me, sergeant," she said, with more than a hint of amusement.

"Wasn't us Ma'am," replied the sergeant, pointing at Seyshara as he continued. "The young lady there subdued this miscreant before we arrived. Took three of us to pull her off the villain before she killed her."

"Really?" Andromeda turned to look at Seyshara curiously. "There's a lot of power hidden that little body, it seems." She crouched down so that she was at eye level with the girl. "I guess you must be Seyshara, then."

Seyshara was stunned. Andromeda had heard of her! Too surprised to speak, she simply nodded her head.

"Seraph told me about you once. I'm sorry to say I wasn't really paying attention at the time, but I remember her talking about a little girl. That's why she and Spyne left the group."

Curiosity overcame surprise. "You knew Mum and Dad?" Seyshara asked.

"I was the one who introduced them, many years ago. Before they - before you were born." Andromeda replied. Seyshara wondered what she had been about to say, but before she had a chance to ask, the Hero stood up and looked down at her. "You're going to need a new home, I suppose. Would you like to stay with me? At least until you're all grown up."

"I can stay with you? But you're -" Seyshara stopped before she talked herself out of moving in with the superhero. "I'd like that. I've got no-one else, and I don't want to stay here. Not now that..."

"I understand," Andromeda nodded sadly. "I've got something to do before I leave here. Sergeant Willis here will take you to my group's base, won't you sergeant?" After the sergeant's positive reply, the superhero continued. "When you get there, tell Heaven I said to find you a room, and try to get some sleep. We'll talk tomorrow. OK?"

Seyshara nodded, and allowed herself to be led away. As she left the kitchen, she looked back to see Andromeda standing with her hands outstretched toward the sword. A blue glow appeared around it, and it lifted from the floor, as though an invisible person had just picked it up. Then the door closed, and Sergeant Willis gently led her back out of the house.

The flight to Andromeda's base passed in a blur of movement and tears, as Seyshara's rage melted away into grief. She barely noticed when the sergeant led her from the helicopter to the decorative building, and rang the doorbell. Nor did she pay attention to what he told the winged woman who opened the door. She was only vaguely aware of being led through the base to a small guest room, where she fell onto the bed and cried herself to sleep.

* * *

A gentle tapping on the door woke Seyshara. The young mutant opened her eyes as a silver-haired girl entered with a tray of food. The newcomer looked at Seyshara and smiled.

"Mom thought it was about time you got up and had something to eat." The girl carefully placed the tray on the bedside cabinet, and pulled up a chair from the corner to sit on, dumping what was already on it onto the bed. "My name's Leigh. What's yours?"

"Seyshara."

"That's pretty. It suits you. Is it true you've got a tail?"

"Well, yes actually. How did you...?" Seyshara looked away from Leigh as she always did when talking about her differences, and suddenly noticed what the other girl had taken off the chair so she could sit. Her clothes and veil, cleaned and ironed, now lay on the bed across her knees. With a start, she grabbed her veil and quickly tried to put it on.

"You don't need to hide here," Leigh said, laughing. "I've seen stranger things than a cat-girl. My mom's got wings, for Christ's sake. Then there was this guy used to be in her group, looked like he was made of leaves. Of course if you really want to wear that, nobody will stop you..."

Seyshara gave up trying to tie the veil, and let it drop onto her lap. "Who...?"

"Who undressed you? Mom, probably. She's like that."

"Who's your mum? You said she had wings..."

"That's right. Just like an angel. Her Hero name's Heaven. Did I say something wrong?" Leigh reached over to wipe away the tear that appeared in Seyshara's eye.

"My mother had angel wings, too. She's dead now."

"Oh god. I didn't know. I'm really sorry. Is that why you're here? You've nowhere else to go?"

Seyshara nodded sadly, wiping away another tear. "She was killed. So was my dad. But I stopped their killer."

"Wow! A Hero already, huh?"

"I'm no Hero. I just lost control. I've always been stronger than the other kids."

"If you can take down a killer just by losing control, you must be an awful lot stronger than some adults." Leigh laughed. "So what's your story?"

"My story?" Seyshara was confused.

"Your origin? Is it magic, mutation or science experiment?" Leigh held her hand out and a small flame flickered into light above her palm. "I'm magic. It's a family thing, although my mother's power comes from science."

"Oh, I see. I'm a mutant. My father was too."

"What about your mother? Do you know what she was?" Leigh asked curiously.

"Her mother was Seraph," announced a stern voice from the door, "and what have I told you about fire and bed sheets?"

Leigh jumped up from her chair, clenching her fist and extinguishing the flame. "Sorry Mom. Just getting to know 'Shara."

The tall woman at the door frowned at her daughter, white wings flexing gently as she folded her arms across her chest.

"There'll be plenty of time for that later, Leigh. Right now, her breakfast's getting cold."

"Right. Sorry. Later then 'Shara." Leigh turned and hurried past her mother out of the room.

Looking at the winged woman Seyshara remembered from her arrival, she could easily see the family resemblance to Leigh, although this woman's face looked much more serious. Red rings around her eyes seemed to indicate that she had been crying as much as Seyshara had the previous night. Before she could bring herself to ask why, Heaven answered her unspoken question.

"Seraph was my sister, so I guess that makes you my niece, yes?" She walked up and sat on the edge of the bed, transferring Seyshara's clothes back to the chair. "Andi told me what happened. If it makes you feel better, you probably couldn't have changed anything had you walked in a few seconds earlier. That assassin was a Stalker."

"Stalker?" Seyshara asked, reaching for the tray of food Heaven had reminded her of.

"A special class of super-villain, adept at hiding and striking from the shadows. That one was probably Night Widow-trained, too. They're Arachnos assassins, and they're very good at their jobs."

"She had super-powers? Apart from her sword?"

"Yes. Cellular regeneration. She can heal fast. That's the only reason she's still alive after what you did to her. But now's not the time to talk about this. It's only upsetting you."

"How did you...?" Seyshara started.

"I'm an empath," Heaven interrupted. "I can sense what you're feeling. I can also change it somewhat. Dull the pain a little, although I'm afraid I'm not really in the right mood for that at the moment."

"I understand. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

"Don't keep your grief locked away, Seyshara. It'll destroy you if you do." Heaven stood up and carried the chair back into the corner. "I'll let you eat in peace now. Come and talk to me when you need to." She leaned over to kiss Seyshara's forehead and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.


	2. A Villain Released

_The explosion woke me. The noise, the shaking, the crumbling plaster dropping onto my forehead. I know I must have been lying on the bed, but when I blinked the sleep from my eyes, I was crouched in a corner, my hand reaching over my shoulder to grasp something that should have been there, but wasn__'__t. Another explosion, and I realised all the commotion was outside. I relaxed somewhat, and looked around my immediate surroundings._

_I was in a bare room, about six feet square, with concrete walls, floor and ceiling. The bed on which I had been sleeping was a board chained to the wall, with a thin mattress and pillow on it. A small sink was attached to the wall in one corner. To my right opposite a small barred window was a large steel door, with two closed panels on it. One panel was just above the floor, while the other was at what would be eye level, had I been standing._

**_A prison cell_**._ The words crossed my mind almost lazily, before I realised I had no idea what they actually meant. I couldn't remember anything; where I was, or why. I couldn't even remember who I was. As I crouched there in the corner, a name came to me, seemingly whispered in my mind. **Kironi**. My name? Somehow that didn't feel right, but I knew it was important to me._

_Footsteps outside put me on guard again. They stopped outside the door and a voice announced __"__17A. This is the one.__"__ I backed further into the corner, and folded the shadows around myself. Then I realised what I had just done. I didn__'__t have time to consider the implications as the top panel opened._

"_Clear,__"__ the voice said. __"__Blow the door.__"__ I heard a low hum rapidly rising in pitch, then with a crash, the entire door tore loose from the wall into the room before me. Two men followed it and looked around. Both wore identical uniforms. Black armour and helmets with a blue and yellow spider design on their backs. One of them carried a large club-like weapon as though it were some kind of shotgun. Neither man seemed able to see me wrapped in shadow._

_Tempted though I was, I decided not to attack them, choosing instead to slip out the now open doorway. Still cloaked in shadows I wandered through the corridors of the prison, passing unseen between guards and inmates alike. Now and then I saw black-clad spider soldiers fighting anyone who interfered with whatever mission they were on._

_I had no idea where I was going, trusting my instincts to lead me where I needed to be. It wasn__'__t long before I was standing in front of a heavy metal door marked __'__Armoury__'__. It was open, the room beyond containing racks of weapons from knives and clubs to guns to more exotic armaments. Many racks were almost empty, as the guards had obviously equipped themselves to quell the attack and breakout._

_My footsteps led me to a caged area at the back of the room. A chain-link door labelled __'__Danger__'__ should have restricted access to this section, but like the main door, this was wide open. There were fewer empty spaces in this area, probably due to the stated danger. Without knowing why, I walked to the back corner to stand facing a slender sword and matching knife hanging on the wall. Both were plain and unadorned, but I could feel the power within them, and knew they belonged together. I reached out to take the sword, and a jolt of pain shot through my body as I heard an exultant shout in my mind, drowning out my senses._

_When I recovered I was lying on the floor, the sword in my hand, feeling as if it truly belonged there and nowhere else. Kironi, the whisper in my mind, guiding my steps. It wanted its mistress. Or its slave. I didn__'__t know which I was, and I didn__'__t really care. All that mattered to me was that we were complete again, at last. My own name could wait until another time. Strapping Kironi__'__s scabbard beneath my shredded judo robe, I retrieved the throwing knife and walked out of the armoury, pausing to consider my next move._

"_There__'__s one!__"__ The shout didn__'__t really register at first, until another voice spoke up._

"_Watch out! She__'__s got the blood sword!__"_

_That__'__s when I realised they were talking about me. I was no longer hidden, and the three armed guards could see me clearly. Throwing the knife at the furthest one, I swung Kironi across and back, slicing the throats of the other two. A move called the Gambler__'__s Cut, I remembered. As the third guard fell lifeless to the floor, the knife vanished from his eye socket, reappearing in a sheath on the front of Kironi__'__s scabbard strap. For some reason, that surprised me, even though the lack of blood on both blades didn__'__t._

_Wrapping shadows around me again, an ancient ninja technique, I now remembered, I headed through the harsh corridors toward the sound of the heaviest fighting. The spider soldiers must have broken in somewhere, and as I had witnessed on my way to retrieve Kironi, they definitely didn__'__t belong here. It didn__'__t take long to find the gaping hole leading out into the courtyard. I stepped through it, out into a war zone._

_Inmates in orange jumpsuits ran around in small groups, fighting guards and other prisoners alike. Because of all the infighting, the guards seemed to be holding their own, despite being heavily outnumbered, although that__'__s all they were doing. A few black-clad spider soldiers stood around the yard, watching the mayhem, only taking action when directly attacked, quickly and efficiently subduing their attackers._

_Not all the inmates wore orange jumpsuits. Looking around, I saw that a number of them wore unique outfits of varying colours, as I did. I was wondering why we should be different when I saw a dusky-skinned woman in blue silk with lace veils point at a guard in front of her. A beam of white light shot from her finger, striking the guard in the chest and knocking him backwards. As he came to rest before me, I could see crystals of ice covering his torso and arms._

_My question was answered. We were the special prisoners. It would have been interesting to know how they had kept her secure with her powers, but I wasn__'__t about to break concealment just to satisfy my curiosity. Having dealt with the guard now lying at my feet, the woman turned away to find a new opponent._

"_Malashandra.__"__ The word was accompanied by a hand touching my shoulder. Spinning round, I swung Kironi towards where I thought the man__'__s throat would be. It didn__'__t reach it. The hand on my shoulder moved faster than I could see to grip my wrist, stopping my swing dead. _

"_Easy Malashandra, I__'__m a friend. Well, an ally, at least.__"__ The speaker was a big man, wearing the black armour of the spider soldiers. Unlike the others I had seen, he wore a light grey cloak adorned with a black spider-leg insignia that seemed maddeningly familiar to me. A smaller, red version of this insignia was painted on his chest plate. He seemed to have no trouble seeing me, even though I was still cloaked in shadows._

"_So who are you supposed to be?__"__ My voice surprised me. I had half expected a dark, gravely voice, matching the whisper of the sword in my head, but it was light and pleasant. I think it took him by surprise a little, too. Or maybe he had expected me to recognise him. His comment about being an ally had suggested to me that we hadn__'__t met, but perhaps I was mistaken._

"_She said you might not__…__. Doesn__'__t matter. I__'__m the pilot of the bird Seer Kalinda sent to bust you lot out of here.__"__ He gestured behind him with his free hand to a large black flier parked at one end of the courtyard. __"__As soon as Jenkins takes out that last radar, that is.__"_

"_How long will that take?__"_

"_Well, he should be back by now. He__'__s probably found trouble, and I can__'__t risk leaving the flier__…__.__"__ He trailed off, glancing around before looking back at me. __"__I need to ask a favour.__"_

"_You want me to blow the radar?__"_

"_Please. While it__'__s still up, we won__'__t get very far. Try to bring Jenkins back too, will you? He__'__s an idiot, but I need to make sure he gets home safely.__"_

"_I__'__ll need my hand back,__"__ I said, pointedly looking at his hand still grasping my wrist._

"_Of course,__"__ he replied, releasing me. __"__Radar control__'__s in that building over there.__"__ He pointed to a low structure off to my left. As I ran across to the open doorway, I heard the pilot__'__s voice behind me calling, __"__Hey, Princess Ice! Over here!__"__ The woman in blue, presumably. I didn__'__t turn to find out._

_Steps inside the doorway led down to a hardened bunker. Heading down the sole corridor, I heard voices ahead of me._

"… _-dom Corps sent in to stop this prison breakout,__"__ said one voice._

"_But we aren__'__t here to talk about us. Who is Arachnos busting out?__"__ Two enemies. Presumably confronting Jenkins._

"_I'm a trained Arachnos soldier," a third voice announced. "You won't get me to spill the name of Malashandra that easy!" Wow. He really was an idiot..._

_Cloaked in shadow, I rounded the corner and saw an Arachnos soldier held up by two men. Both wore tight outfits of red and white, training assault rifles at the black-armoured captive. Creeping up behind the nearest, I lashed out with Kironi, cutting deep into his neck. As the other man began to react, I threw my knife at him. Only luck saved him from instant death, but that didn__'__t alter his fate, as Kironi swept back across, opening his chest. Although the cut was not deep, a dark shadow spread from the wound across his body, and I watched the light fade from his eyes as he fell lifeless to the floor._

"_Whoa__…__ Malashandra!__"__ Jenkins stuttered in amazement. __"__And I thought we were here to rescue __you__!__"_

"_Can it, flyboy,__"__ I was in no mood for this. __"__Let__'__s blow the radar so we can leave this place.__"_

"_S-sure thing, Ma__'__am.__"__ He gave me a quick salute and turned to pick up a small bag from the floor beside him. __"__This way.__"__ He gestured further down the corridor. I returned to the shadows and went ahead of him. The control room was only a dozen yards down the corridor. There were several prison guards on duty, but not for long. I kept watch while Jenkins planted the bomb and headed back out to the flier. As we approached it, the bunker behind us vanished in a gout of fire and shrapnel, the shockwave knocking Jenkins off his feet. Picking him up, I practically threw him onto the flier past the pilot, who nodded approvingly and barked a quick order to the idiot soldier._

"_Thanks, although I should leave him here for his stupidity,__"__ the pilot muttered. __"__Unfortunately, his father__'__s well-connected. Anyway, it__'__s time for us to go. I just heard that the Freedom Phalanx are on their way to button up this breakout, so we__'__d best be leaving quick.__"_

_I didn__'__t waste time getting on. Inside were ten seats, five on each side, and an open door to the cockpit, where Jenkins was already strapping himself in. Of the ten seats in the rear, only one was unoccupied, nearest the entry door. Eight assorted individuals sat strapped in, ready for take-off. One man was so huge he took up two seats, but the straps seemed to have been modified to accommodate his bulk. Arachnos had come prepared to rescue specific people. I sat next to the cryokinetic in blue silk I had seen outside as the pilot entered and closed the door._

"_Wait,__"__ the dusky woman said with a strange accent. __"__Wasn__'__t Mal supposed to be here too?__"_

_That caught me by surprise. First, that she knew me well enough to use a nickname, although I had no memory of her. The second thing was that she was genuinely concerned about me. Were we friends, then? If so, how close were we? How much did she know about me? Did she know what I__'__d forgotten? As I was considering these questions, the pilot laughed and drew my attention to something else I__'__d forgotten._

"_You can show yourself, Malashandra.__"__ He said, looking down at me. __"__You__'__re among allies now.__"_

_My neighbour stared in amazement as I dispelled the shadows that concealed me and strapped myself in. She wasn__'__t the only one. Everyone except the pilot jumped at my sudden appearance. Still laughing, he entered the cockpit and closed the door. Moments later, the engines roared into life, and we began our flight to freedom._


	3. Outbreak

**Outbreak**

Taking a deep breath, Seyshara stepped off the bus and looked around for the man she was supposed to meet. Officer Flint wasn't hard to find, standing in the middle of a nearby parking lot with a few costumed Heroes-in-training standing around him. Seyshara turned and smiled at her cousin coming off the bus behind her and gestured toward the policeman.

"Looks like we're not the only ones assigned to this case, Leigh."

"It's Heaven Leigh when I'm on duty, remember?" the pyromancer replied. "I still think you should have picked a Hero name too. The Amethyst Kitten would have suited you."

"We've been over this," Seyshara said wearily. "I'm sticking with my own name because it's all I've got left of my parents. My real parents, I mean."

That had come as a surprise. Several months after moving in with Andromeda's Supergroup she had decided to look over her parents' files and discovered her adoption papers, dated shortly before her third birthday. No information was given about her true parentage, other than her given name, which Seraph and Spyne had chosen not to change. When she showed the papers to Andromeda, the Controller had admitted that she already knew about it. However she had not known who Seyshara's true parents were. Only that her father was an old friend of Spyne, and was likewise a mutant.

That was why Seyshara had chosen to become a Hero. Aside from the financial reward that provided a comfortable income for many professional Heroes, there would be many contacts and informants throughout her career. Several of those would have known Spyne and might even recall some of his earliest friends and team-mates. It was a long shot, but the public records had failed to provide any clues. Or indeed anything prior to his arrival in Paragon City from the USSR. Her brief reverie was cut short as her companion continued her criticisms.

"And you really should have chosen a proper costume, 'Shara. Sure, you've got the veil and the leather bodice, but a pleated skirt? That's just not … heroic."

"And I suppose I should have gone for a flame-red metal number that barely attempts to cover my assets, like you did?" Seyshara asked, sarcastically.

"Of course not. Red wouldn't suit your complexion." Leigh replied, playfully ignoring her cousin's tone. "Well, you can always change it later. I heard that Statesman gets those faceplates of his from Icon."

"Can Icon make me taller?" Seyshara's mutant genes had caused her to stop growing at just four feet tall, although the remainder of her physical development had proceeded normally. There was no way she could be mistaken for a child.

"Possibly…," She would have continued but a cough from behind her reminded the Controller that she was blocking the bus door. She quickly stepped aside as she turned to apologise to her fellow Hero.

"Thank you," replied the young woman in the black and purple jumpsuit, before passing them to join the group near the police officer.

"I suppose we should introduce ourselves to the officer." Seyshara said, taking the lead as she frequently had during their training. She didn't wait for her cousin to reply before crossing the parking lot. Flint glanced up as they approached and cleared his throat. The other Heroes stopped their quiet chatting to listen to him.

"Now that we're all here, it's time to explain what's up." He spoke quickly, with the practised ease of having given this briefing before. "You probably noticed the quarantine barriers as you were brought here. Well, some of the local populace have been contaminated by a designer virus codenamed Outbreak. Outbreak is derived from Rikti biological weaponry, but we've encountered it before, albeit a different strain."

He paused, looking around at the assembled Heroes. "We've identified the immediate source, and it's not contagious, so you don't need to worry about infection. However, the virus magnifies aggressive tendencies in the victims and suppresses the rational portion of the mind, turning them into violent psychopaths, who will attack anyone and anything. Even if their unfocused violence doesn't kill them, their bodies will shut down under the constant strain eventually. Our task is to develop a cure before that happens."

One of the other Heroes raised his hand to ask a question. Flint didn't seem to notice as he continued his briefing. "Since we've had some experience with this virus, we already have a good start. We have a cure for several previous strains of Outbreak. All we need is to learn how this strain differs from previous ones, so we need a number of blood samples from the Contaminated. You will go out in teams of three to various locations in the area to obtain the samples, which you will take to Doctor Miller at the field hospital behind me, and return here for further assignments."

He looked down at his clipboard, and read out the first three names. "Moonglove, Heaven Leigh and … Seyshara Sanjiyani?" The hesitation was obviously through trying to work out how to pronounce it correctly, which he had. The two cousins stepped forward, as did the woman who had followed them off the bus.

"It says here you have medical training, Moonglove." The woman nodded, although it wasn't a question. In any case, he didn't look up from the clipboard. "We need at least ten different blood samples. I assume you know how to get them. Heaven Leigh will contain the Contaminated for you to do your job." He frowned at what he was reading, and looked up to Leigh. "I've got Fire Control listed here, but no secondary focus…"

"I can't seem to get the hang of using fire defensively," the Controller replied, embarrassed. "And I don't seem to have much talent for anything else."

"Perhaps you should have trained as a Blaster, then." Not the first time that advice had been given, but Leigh had never liked hurting people. "Probably good that you didn't, though. Control is more useful here. Seyshara, you're designated Tanker. I'm sure you know what that means."

Seyshara nodded. "Keep the opposition away from my team-mates." Like Leigh, she'd had a choice of which Archetype to register as. The offensive option was called a Scrapper, and she might have taken it had her Strength been a higher class than her Invulnerability. Not that either was particularly weak, according to the scale employed by the Federal Bureau of Metahuman Affairs, and further training would only increase her powers.

"Exactly," Flint nodded. "Head down the street and get your Medicom patches from Doctor Miller. Then Sergeant Hicks will show you the district to which you've been assigned." He turned to the other Heroes and read three more names from his clipboard. Moonglove started toward the ambulance visible a few hundred yards away, stopping several paces away and looking back at the cousins. Leigh and Seyshara hurried to join her.

"So, medical training, huh?" Leigh asked cheerfully. "Does that make you a Defender, then?" That was her mother's Archetype, although she rarely consciously used her powers. Neither cousin knew exactly why, only that it had something to do with how she'd gained them. Moonglove laughed and shook her head.

"Hardly. We don't fall into the standard classifications."

"We?" Leigh asked, confused. Then she realised what the other woman must mean. "You've got a Kheldian in you?" Kheldians were alien beings composed of energy. In order to exist outside their home dimension for any length of time, they had to merge with a living creature, which usually caused the host to gain energy-based superpowers. Such joined beings were known as Peacebringers.

"Nictus technically," replied Moonglove, "although she prefers the term Warshade. A Nictus uses its host with no regard for the original personality. A Warshade is a Nictus who's realised that's wrong, and exists in symbiosis with its host, like Peacebringers always have. There's more to it, of course, but it's mostly old history."

"That's interesting," said Seyshara, as her cousin spoke up with a smile. "As long as you're one of the good guys, that's all that matters, really."

When the trio reached the field hospital, Doctor Miller smiled at them. After giving Moonglove a medical kit, he handed what looked like a nicotine patch to each one, explaining its purpose.

"These are emergency transponders. They monitor your health and will activate a teleportation system should you be in any danger of dying. You'll be transported to a regeneration unit within the ambulance for recovery. These are only temporary, with a very short range. If you decide to complete your registration as a Hero, you'll get a permanent Medicom transponder implant, with a much larger range."

"How large?" Moonglove asked.

"Anywhere in Paragon, and we have a few reception antennae out in the Rogue Isles. Not many, though. They'll all bring you back to the nearest hospital so you won't waste much time getting back to wherever you fell."

"Where do these patches go?" Seyshara asked, looking down at it and wondering how they were going to get an implant through her skin.

"Over the heart." He looked at the three woman, before addressing Moonglove. "You can use the ambulance for privacy." Leigh and Seyshara exchanged quiet grins. Their costumes were revealing enough that they didn't need to be removed to place the patches. Indeed, Leigh's costume would probably get her arrested for indecency if she weren't a trainee Hero. Heroes could get away with more than normal citizens could, although they also had far greater responsibilities.

"Thanks," Moonglove said somewhat sarcastically, climbing into the ambulance and closing the door behind her. She stepped out a few minutes later, and turned to the others. "Let's go find Sergeant Hicks, then, and find out where we're supposed to working." She sounded irritated.

"He's over there," Leigh pointed to a police officer approaching them, having seen him as they'd neared the ambulance. "At least I think that's Hicks." She glanced quizzically at Doctor Miller, who nodded as he readied a second set of syringes and patches for the next group, which was approaching from the parking lot.

Sergeant Hicks directed the trio to a run-down section of the city area. Dozens of men and women roamed the streets wielding knives and pipes, picking fights with anyone who came close. If there wasn't anybody close enough, they attacked cars, mailboxes and traffic lights.

"Looks rough," Leigh commented.

"If they didn't think we could handle it," Seyshara responded, "we wouldn't be here. Let's get to work." Without another word to her team-mates, she ran forward to a pair of Contaminated who hadn't actually started fighting each other yet. "Hey there! You guys think you're tough enough to handle me?" she shouted at them, as they became aware of her presence. One of them grabbed a rock and threw it at her, hitting her on the shoulder, before pulling out a knife.

"That all you got?" Seyshara taunted with a grin. The other Contaminated dropped his pipe and pulled out a gun. "That's more like it. Let's play!" She jumped in the air and backflipped before rushing into melee range of her foes. She focused on the gunman as the greater threat. Not so much to her, but her team-mates could get hit by a stray shot. A cloud of hot smoke materialised around the head of the other man, causing him to choke uncontrollably.

Seyshara jabbed out at what was chest height for her, expecting the Contaminated to crumple. Being only four foot tall, her fist struck the man in a somewhat vulnerable spot, although it seemed the virus dulled his pain receptors, as he barely flinched. Instead he clubbed her across the face with his pistol. Even with her Invulnerability, it hurt quite a bit, almost stunning the Tanker.

"Gonna take more than that," she replied almost automatically. _Not much more, though. This guy's stronger than the training bots._ Unwilling to use too much force on an innocent victim, she hit the man a little higher, with a similar result. _Did Monolith reduce the power on them for me?_ Monolith was Andromeda's Tanker, taking his Hero name from the Stone Armour his magical talisman summoned. _Have to ask him about that later._

As the thoughts flashed through the small Tanker's mind, a bolt of dark energy passed over her shoulder and hit the Contaminated, knocking him back onto the street. He didn't get up. The other one had passed out due to lack of breath from Leigh's smoke. Seyshara looked around to see if there were any more Contaminated closing on them as Moonglove approached, looking at her hand in wonder.

"Either I'm getting stronger, or you hurt him more than it seemed," remarked the Warshade, taking a pair of syringes from her medical kit, and kneeling next to the knifeman to check he was still alive.

"Hopefully both. I'd hate to think my punches were that ineffective." Seyshara replied, still keeping an eye out for trouble. "I think we need to talk to Monolith about power settings, Heaven Leigh. These guys hit harder than his training bots, and this is basically just a proving exercise."

"That's what I was thinking," the Controller said. She looked down at her cousin curiously. "Your blood's purple?"

"Blood?" Seyshara touched her forehead where the man had hit her. Her hands came away smeared with a lilac fluid. "Wow. Haven't seen that stuff for years." Moonglove stood and took Seyshara's head in her hands, examining the wound and staring intently into the Tanker's eyes.

"Not concussed," she concluded. "And the cut's not big enough to bleed much more than it already has." Nevertheless, she dug a plaster out of her medical kit and fixed it over the cut.

"Thanks."

"Can't let the Tanker fall. Not when she's keeping us Squishies safe." Seyshara smiled at the term she'd heard Monolith use frequently during her training. Many Tankers used it to refer to most of the other Archetypes. Only Scrappers were exempt, their role being up close and personal like Seyshara's. She found herself wondering how the other Archetypes referred to Tankers. _Meat shields, probably._

"Better get on with it," the Tanker said. "The sooner we find a cure, the better."


	4. Arrival at Mercy

_**Arrival at Mercy**_

_As the flier lifted off and turned toward the sea, the dusky cryokinetic leaned over to me, turning her face so the other occupants wouldn't see her lips moving through the thin veil she was wearing._

"_Good to see you, Mal," she whispered, sounding as though she meant it. "You've obviously been told your name today. Mine's Ameera Jamad. That means Princess Ice, by the way. That's what most people call me, but I prefer Ameera, not that you'll remember tomorrow." _

_She spoke with a tired casualness that implied my amnesia was a regular thing. That was worrying. Was I going to spend the rest of my life being reminded who I was by somebody I'd never remember meeting? I had little time to consider this as she continued._

"_The big guy taking up two seats is Megalosaurus. As tough and strong as his namesake, but about half as intelligent. Watch yourself with him. That black eye he's got? You did that yesterday, and it's not the first you've given him. The woman in red next to him is…"_

_She spent the rest of the journey telling me about the other Villains we were flying with. Most of them had reason to dislike me. It seemed my apparent lack of powers had made me a target for bullies, who found out the hard way I was not as powerless as I looked. It's no easy task to bruise an Invulnerable Brute as I evidently had._

_Ameera didn't tell me how she had met me, and I didn't ask, in part because it didn't seem a good idea to appear weak among our current company. There was also the problem of recurring amnesia. No point learning something I'd only forget tomorrow. _

_The flight was shorter than I would have expected. It seemed less than an hour before the pilot's voice came over the intercom announcing our arrival at Mercy Island. Barely a minute later, we were on the ground. Most of my travelling companions wasted little time in unbuckling themselves and attempting to be the first one out. Ameera and I remained seated, watching them with interest as they tried to open the outer door, without success._

_As a result, we were the only ones to see the cockpit door open as the pilot stepped out, shaking his head and laughing quietly to himself._

"_Where do you think you're going?" he asked loudly, causing everyone else to turn and look at him. "Did you think we freed you out of the kindness of our hearts?" I'd been expecting a catch, and I think Ameera had too, but none of the others seemed to have considered there might be a price for their freedom. As that realisation began to sink in slowly, the pilot continued._

"_You've all been identified as possible candidates for Project Destiny. You don't need to know what that means yet. Just consider that your actions will be watched by Arachnos. Should you prove worthy you may be recruited by various Operatives and contacts for special tasks. Your performance of these tasks will be used to assess your potential role in the Arachnos hierarchy. You may even come to the attention of Lord Recluse himself."_

_That name brought shivers to my spine for some reason. Glancing around, I noticed similar reactions among my companions. Clearly this Lord Recluse was a man to be reckoned with if the mere mention of his name could worry experienced Metahumans so much._

"_That day is likely to be a long way away for you, though," the pilot continued. "Right now, you will be dealing with the lady who ordered your release. The Fortunata Seer Kalinda. She has requested you personally to assess whether you are worthy of the tasks Arachnos has in store for you. Jenkins here will escort you all to her."_

_The idiot co-pilot stepped out from behind the pilot and strode confidently toward the outer door. The group of Villains opened up, forming a clear path for him to reach and open it._

_As the others followed, Ameera and I unbuckled ourselves and stood up to join them, when the pilot stopped us._

"_You don't have to work for Kalinda, you know. She's picked you out as her 'Destined Ones' but there are many factions within Arachnos that you may not want to get involved with. If you want, I can introduce you to a man I know who's not part of the organisation. A mercenary named Burke. You'll still be watched by Arachnos, but you'll be more of a free agent."_

_That sounded interesting, but I had to know something first. "Why us? What makes us different?"_

"_Nothing," he replied. "I'm going to make the same offer to the others. Just not all at once. Go and meet Kalinda now. See what you think of her. If you want to take me up on my offer, give me call and I'll set up the meeting." He slipped me a small card with a phone number on it before turning back into the cockpit and closing the door._

_Ameera and I climbed out of the flier and went to join our group, who were standing near a man in white spider-armour and a tall woman in a tight red uniform. Her face was obscured by a strange helmet, tall and flat, with no apparent eye-holes, yet it was obvious she could see things around her. As we approached, I could see black slashes on her uniform._

_The whole image was maddeningly familiar, and an image flashed across my mind of a woman wearing a similar uniform, although in black and purple and minus the helm. She was handing me a familiar black sword. When I opened my eyes and tried to stand after Bonding with Kironi, she smiled fondly, and helped me to my feet with visible relief. The vision lasted only a second, yet Ameera must have noticed it._

"_Are you alright, Mal?" she asked quietly. "This doesn't seem like a good place to show weakness if you can help it." She glanced behind her at the other escapees, having placed herself between us to hide my unsteadiness._

"_I'm fine," I told her. After a moment's thought, I decided to tell her what had happened. "I just remembered receiving my sword." The revelation stunned her._

"_You've never remembered anything before. Why now?"_

"_No idea, but if I can remember one thing, maybe I can remember the rest of my life."_

"_Assuming you don't forget overnight like you usually do. Did."_

"_We'll find out tomorrow, won't we?" She smiled when I said that. "Let's talk to this Seer. Then we can try and find somewhere to stay, if they haven't already got places for us." _

_As we reached the group, the Seer nodded, and addressed all of us. "Thank you for coming, not that you really had much choice." That produced a few grumbles, and a chuckle from Jenkins. "You've been broken out of prison because one or more of you may prove vital to Lord Recluse's plans to conquer the world. Before that day arrives, you will be observed and tested by numerous individuals and factions within Arachnos._

"_Some of you will fail. Some of you will die. Some of you may find a Patron within Arachnos to aid you, and a few of you may attract the personal attention of Lord Recluse himself. Pray that this attention is positive. Few oppose the Lord and live long. Here in the Rogue Isles, Lord Recluse is the absolute ruler. I'm not going to warn you not to break the laws here. You're Villains, after all. Just don't do it in such a way as to upset Lord Recluse._

_In a moment, you'll be taken to the apartments we've found for you, but there's one thing you need to know before that. This is Arbiter Diaz." She indicated the man beside her. "Any person you see in similar armour is also an Arbiter. Remember always that Arbiters are sacrosanct. They stand above the factions and conflicts within Arachnos. Any attack upon an Arbiter is considered an attack upon Lord Recluse himself, and will be punished harshly. Respect the Arbiters and obey them, and you may go far within Arachnos._

"_Your first tests begin tomorrow. Report here at 9 am tomorrow for assignments." She turned and walked away, the silent Arbiter walking alongside her. As soon as she was clear of our group, eight people in Arachnos uniforms emerged from a small building and approached us. Each of them knew who they wanted, it seemed, splitting up to address a different member of the group. One woman came to stand before Ameera and I._

"_Ameera Jamad, Malashandra. If you would follow me, please." She didn't wait for us to answer before heading the same direction the Seer had left. With no other choice, we followed her. She led us into what can best be described as a fortress. The interior was dark and adorned with large red banners bearing the Arachnos insignia. After a few minutes she stopped outside a metal door. "Wait here, please." She stepped inside, closing the door behind her._

"_Something tells me this isn't our apartment, Mal," muttered Ameera._

"_Wouldn't want to stay here, anyway," I replied, although I suddenly remembered having rooms in similar surroundings when I was a child. Was I related to this Seer, then? Or the Night Widow I'd remembered earlier? Night Widow? Another term I remembered without knowing what it meant. My thoughts were cut short when the door opened and the attendant stepped out._

"_Please enter, Malashandra." I stepped through, still trying to remember my connection to Arachnos. As Ameera tried to follow me, the attendant stepped in front of her. "Only Malashandra."_

_Glancing back, I saw Ameera's dark eyes turn ice-blue. The last time they had been that colour was when she froze the guard at the prison, and I realised she was planning to do the same here. That didn't seem like a good idea to me, so I quickly spoke to her._

"_Relax, Ameera. I doubt they're going to hurt me after the trouble they went to spring me." She blinked and looked at me, her eyes reverting to their natural dark brown. "It might have something to do with my memory."_

_She nodded. "I'll wait here, then. If that's alright with you?" she asked the attendant, who nodded, replying "I'll take you both to your apartment when the Seers have finished with Malashandra."_

_That sounded ominous, but my argument to Ameera was still relevant. They wouldn't break me out of prison just to kill me. An organisation powerful enough to rule an archipelago could doubtless sneak somebody into the prison if they wanted to. I stepped into the room, and the door closed behind me._

_The large chamber was largely unfurnished. A small desk and chair in one corner, and a bench along the wall opposite the door. An intricate pattern was painted on the floor, encircled by glowing blue ring. Spaced evenly around the outside of the ring were seven Fortunata Seers, in identical uniforms, although I was certain one of them was Kalinda even before she spoke._

"_Please step into the circle, Malashandra. Take your place on your insignia." She indicated part of the pattern before her. Looking down I saw the section she was referring to. A design picked out in black and orange triangles, depicting stylised outspread wings. It felt as much part of me as the sword had. As I walked to it, I noticed it was closer to the edge of the circle than the middle. Opposite it was a large emblem that looked like some kind of tribal design. Was somebody - something - else supposed to stand there?_

"_Draw your sword and hold it out before you." With a shrug, I did as she said, and the Seers all stepped forward onto the ring of light. Rays of blue spread out from each, connecting them to all the others as they began to chant quietly in a language I couldn't understand. Kironi's hilt began to heat up in my hand and the dark blade glowed red, but I felt unable to release it. The chanting grew louder and the hilt became hotter, beginning to burn me, yet despite the pain, I couldn't open my hand. After what felt like hours, the Seers' chanting reached a crescendo, and the blue glow expanded to fill the room, blinding me briefly._

_As my eyes began to clear I realised two things. One was that my hand no longer hurt. The other was that it wasn't holding a sword any more, but somebody's hand. Blinking furiously to clear my vision, I looked at the being kneeling on the other insignia, it's huge clawed hand clamped in mine._

_At first I could see little more than red skin and horns, and the wings on its back. Then it looked up at me. A bestial face with large tusks and jet-black eyes that contained no other colour. It stretched its wings and stood, still looking down at me. The tribal design it was standing on was tattooed across its chest in sky-blue. Fur of the same colour covered its goat-like legs, and I could now see the membranes of its wings were also sky-blue. Darkness rolled off its eight-foot tall body as it looked over me to address Kalinda._

"_Why?" It was the voice of the sword I had heard whispering in my mind before. Kalinda didn't seem surprised, but she was a Seer, after all._

"_Malashandra isn't the only Destined One in the room," she replied. "You also have a destiny within Arachnos, Kironi." That's when I realised what had happened to my sword, and where this demon had come from. They were the same entity._

"_And what of Malashandra?" Kironi asked. "Without me, she's far less than you would want." I was a bit offended by that, but not much. The demon was correct, echoing my own thoughts at that moment._

"_That's up to you." Kalinda responded. "We've freed you from the enchantment that constrains you. You can switch between forms as you choose. If you wish to continue to assist Malashandra, that's your choice." With that, she turned and walked away, vanishing into the darkness at the edges of the room. The other Seers followed suit, leaving me alone with the demon._


End file.
